Faith
by Miko-chan
Summary: It takes one leap to soften two hardened hearts. [Hao x Jeanne]
1. Her Silence

_There was only the void which had surrounded him. Everything--in this emptiness--was seemingly dark. He felt the brittleness of the earth beneath his settled back. It was bitterly stabbing him in his crumbling insides. The air was getting so heavy to his nostrils, with each movement of his chest bringing such continuous flow of numbing electricity in him.  
  
He was defeated.  
  
Again.  
  
By the one whom he had thought to be only his mere replica.  
  
There was the surging amount of fury in his mind, the fight that he had never wanted to give up...  
  
He will never surrender. Clenching his fist, he tried to rise himself but...  
  
"Death is the only punishment you deserve."  
  
He refused to open his eyes.  
  
The Evil coughed out harshly. A disgusting taste came to his mouth as he spoke. "Strike."  
_  
_"This is the road to your salvation." The female voice continued, soft and condemning. "This will put your troubled soul at rest."  
  
Silence. A frightening silence.  
  
"Death is nothing to me." His voice was becoming distant to his ears. "I shall not gain that rest."_  
_  
He could still feel the glare that had emanated from her.  
  
There was She, over towering him with the flair of her dress.  
  
"Do you not despise me?" he muttered, as his brow arched in confusion.  
  
"Yes, I do." She snapped, without looking at his obscured dark irises. "You do not know how much."  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
"To save you."  
  
He gave a snort. "No one can save me. Not even your God."_  
  
_She gave a silent hiss of annoyance.  
_  
_"Then with my hand, I will deliver His justice. The one whom you blatantly mock ." Her face contorted into that fixed look, preparing herself to another death that will come swiftly with her hands.  
_  
_At long last, the Destroyer will be finished. Souls will rejoice and life will be no longer be miserable.  
_  
_She lifted a single, metal spike, hand-picked from The Iron Maiden. She maimed it at his heart.  
_  
_Then he laughed a cold, humorless mirth. The blood trailed down the corner of his lips. Abruptly, a shot of huge flames surrounded him.  
_  
_She staggered away from him. The blazing roars had engulfed the man upon the cracked earth.  
_  
_He gave a mirthless smile. "You stain your hands with the blood of your companions."  
  
She hissed.  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"You are alone."  
  
She glowered, the flicker of the roaring embers alighting her ivory features.  
  
There was his face, slightly visible in the roast of the fire.  
  
"What are you telling me?" she stared intently at the face without any preamble.  
  
"We are not different, Jeanne-san....."  
  
He slowly began to disappear, blending against the wield of the fire.  
  
"You cannot even save yourself..."  
  
She gazed at his onyx orbs without any iota of being affected by this statement.  
  
"Like you."  
  
His eyes flashed; not of menace or sinisterly glowers, but of sentiments.  
  
"Then how can you tell me that I deserve your punishment?"  
  
Then he had said the phrase that she never thought that would be imprinted in her...for a long, long while.  
  
"You have no power to do so."  
  
An echoing laughter rang out deafeningly.   
  
"Weak."  
_  
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**_Faith_**  
**_Written_** _ by Miko-chan  
**Beta-read** by Apple-chan ( Sugoi da ne, neechan! ^^ I owe you one, Thanks!)  
**Author's notes:** This fic and the following two chapters are dedicated to Syaoran no Hime, Reen-neechan, Mendori-chan, da* mouse and all Hao x Jeanne fans. _  
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"Sister Jeanne, thank you very much for your assistance."  
  
"It is nothing." she responded in a pliant, kind voice. "I understand how much you need to find something for your living."  
  
"I shall be back before nightfall."  
  
She gazed at the young midget, with her tiny iridescent black eyes looking at the young nun expectantly.  
  
"Have a good day, sir."  
  
"I hope so. " He smiled grimly, and turned his head halfway to call his eldest son. "Come here, we need to get moving."  
  
"Hai, Otousan."  
  
She watched patiently as other parents and companions went towards the black mass of trees in the middle of the wide desert. It was the only thing to make these people survive.  
  
There was the incredible pull of pity as she settled her eyes on this place.  
  
A few hours passed as she gave refuge to those who needed help among the lowly villagers of this poor town. She had already given their well-deserved relief; they had given her their warmest welcome in return. The townsfolk were all grateful, from the way their pearly white teeth had glittered magnificently against their sweat-dripping skin. It is a known fact that there was famine all throughout the land.  
  
Indeed, their life truly _was_ hard...but there was a trace of survival and happiness in their every move--something that could be replenish every soul searching being.  
  
She was resting upon the calming, cool shade of the widespread tree in the middle of the stretching savannah. With a mass of twenty children under her wing, she nestled her weary head against the supporting trunk. She was the youngest nun to volunteer for this evangelistic mission, but nevertheless they had thought her youth could be used in overseeing the tykes. The older nuns were giving instructions to the villagers for a possible handicraft living, but she had never hesitated to offer help in any way she could--even if it meant overseeing hyperactive children in the heat of the day.  
  
The young boys and girls began to gather around her, their curious sweltering faces turned to her. She merely blinked in surprise when different voices began to speak in eagerness and curiosity about the outside world. Obviously, those who are marginalized and suffering are unable to discover for themselves to different destinations, so it is very natural that the children are very inquisitive at what was happening outside their makeshift fences.  
  
As they piled up to her side and began to collect themselves, the lady began to tell stories of the world, the graces of God and the dedication of her life in that same belief. Their interest with every little subject was astounding, as if something like that was taken for granted in their world. No matter, she thought amiably, for she was getting excited as their awed faces.  
  
In no time at all, they began to accept her as part of their cheerful group. Each little tyke was listening to her intently as they lay themselves upon the ground. The sun has already settled down to the terra firma, and yet the children still huddled beside her. They were either playing tag underneath her watchful eye or listening to the stories of the unknown wilderness beneath the hidden forest laid in the oasis.  
  
She could not help but eavesdrop, being the curious woman she was, of a certain nightmare that lies beneath the innocent clump of trees in this wilderness. There were rapid rumors of a certain being that haunts that place...  
  
It filled her thoughts right now, even in the dead of the night. That same terrified voice of her charge...  
  
_Their tones dropped into nervous whispers, soothed hands covering their swift mouths. She inclined her head in curiosity, silently waiting for their sharing. The same young girl earlier, with curly mass of dark hair, spoke with a quivering voice. She gave a terrified glance at the others, as if assuring herself that no one else is listening.  
  
"What is wrong with you, dear?" She could not help but notice, for there was a disturbing knot of fear in the girl's features.  
  
"Will Otousan and Oniichan be alright?"  
_  
_She was puzzled." Of course, no need to worry." It has been a routine in this village to find some water, and she had not heard of such things as fatal accidents occurring in obtaining some liquid in wells and unsought rivers.  
_  
_"But..." Her voice dropped, barely to a hushed whisper." it's not what you think it really is."  
  
"What...?"  
  
"There is a creature over there...Something that glows in the night...sometimes. But...They think it is what causing..." The little girl was shivering and stammering, her fingers fiddling nervously on the hem of her shirt.  
  
The nun was quite alarmed at this news.  
  
"A..." she breathed. Another paranormal experience? Great. "...a creature?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She was about to open her tiny mouth when the bustle of children went to them, turning their suspicious eyes to _ the one who was speaking to her about such unbelievable things.  
  
All of the recent events earlier were relieved as she knelt upon the makeshift pew in her tent. Her face was calm, yet unnoticed anxiety was dwelling inside her. The lamp, which held only a small touch of flame, was being wavered by the unknown desert winds. It was usual for the almost deathlike silence to conquer the night, according to them. Especially when the darkness seems to be alive and breathing.  
  
That conversation had invoked something within her.  
  
She cannot deny that truth. The strong surge of force emanating from that dim void in the night was overwhelming. She remembered the aura before--even though she had abandoned the use of ki-sensing years ago.  
  
Then a tiny cough was heard.  
  
She stirred in her reflective position. With a graceful sweep, she rose slowly and opened the curtail that had hidden her from her visitor for tonight.  
  
It was the young girl.  
  
What could this little tyke be doing in the dead of the night? As far as the nun could decipher from the girl's actions, it was like she was going to reveal something...  
  
She had a soft tint of chestnut that glowered magnificently, despite that her dark curls were somehow deflecting any light . Her bony features were covered with a thick black shawl, swallowing her small frame. Holding her ivory-smooth palm, she nodded, her small strong face reflected in the darkness. "Help me, sister." Then the young lady had turned off the dimming flame of the lantern that she was reaching out near the outside of her tent. "They are not home yet.."  
  
Then she remembered.  
_  
"I will return to pick her up after nightfall."  
_  
"They are not home yet!" She burst into sobs as she clung against the long, flowing nightgown of the woman. The young girl's tears glistened brightly against the wild flame of the lighted lantern.  
  
Maybe she should not have consented, she thought as she reached for the lantern placed on the makeshift table. However, her heart was easily conquered by children. When she had consulted with the parents of these kids, she had found out that they were constantly haunted by an unknown nightmare that had been hiding beneath those innocent myriad of trees.  
  
"Shh." She place a finger upon her lips, emphasizing silence. "What do you want, child?"  
  
"Neechan," the little liquefied emerald orbs gazed at her with trepidation and blew the flickering candle to darkness. "They might be missing in the woods. Everyone in the village was here earlier this afternoon."  
  
She was about to protest that it was impossible to see anything in this overpowering darkness...but the expectant gaze that filled the hope of the little girl's eyes had called something within her. Hoping that one of those nuns who are keeping their duty at night would visit at her tent, she left a hastily- written note that she was out to find someone. Then, the little child began to drag her, flimsy white shawl and all, into the wide expanse of the desert.  
  
She passed by the little shanties that were defoliating against the fierce weather of the climate. There was nothing relieving in the sight of them, since it seems that the task that she would do right now was abysmally foolish. Yet, rumors that the children were ailed by an unknown fear somehow had appeased her to help the little child. She might be the youngest of all who had volunteered to help these desolated people, but it did not affect the fact that she was also the one that these little ones confided on. It might be wrong to allow such tiny beings to wander out, but she assured herself that she would defend them, even if it means summoning her accursed abilities.  
  
There were many things that she had tried to leave behind since the Iron Maiden had left the battlefield in the almost identical desert. As soon as the shaman fight was canceled, there was nothing to fight for anymore...but there were those words that had echoed in her mind.  
  
_Weak._  
  
On that same day, she had vowed to herself that she would prove him wrong.  
  
Why would she bother to heed such words from someone who is nearly heretic?  
  
But that did not mattered anymore, for she guessed that there were things that had pierced her, which was the truth. Indeed, she had sacrificed a lot more than what is expected of a girl her age. They were glimpses of a young girl's fantasies and 'should be only kept written in little girl's diaries'. It was insulting, but there is really more to the world than sin. It was also filled with beauty and goodness that she had originally thought was confined only within the walls of the convent.  
  
There was nothing to save now, except others.  
  
The young girl that possesses the power of the gods had receded to accept that challenge. She was never the same again, and concentrated on correcting her mistakes from such an unripe belief. Realization had dawned on her horribly, at the bloodstained hands of her angels--at the lives that she had wasted. Isn't it taught that there must be forgiveness before death? How many times did she try not to mourn? How many times did she try to compensate?  
  
Then, it dawned on her that she would not join such battle again, much to the disappointment of Marco. The sole guardian and studying seminarian had consented that the Evil still existed and they must not rest to allow him to breathe.  
  
Yet...there was his younger twin, who probably has more power than her to stop that man. After all, in that last attempt to sabotage the Great Spirits, wasn't he, Yoh Asakura, who had been last one who had drawn the last fight?  
  
She stumbled upon a rock, making her thoughts scatter as swiftly as she had gathered them.  
  
They were now facing the brush of the winds against the fine brittles of the sand. Across that sea of grayish sands was the towering mountain, seemingly overpowering to its spectators from afar.  
  
That was their destination.  
  
She thought wearily that the blinding breeze of the sand made it dangerous to cross, and the possible time of their return would only be hours before dawn, but her young companion paid no heed to these possibilities in her mind. They marched onward, overused sandals imprinting upon the scorched earth.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
A lamp.  
  
If oils would only last long enough...  
  
In the immense coverings of the ivy covered trunks upon their path, the night seems to be more treacherous. The young lass, wearing only a thick black shawl to cover her shivering back, threaded their way through the darkness skillfully. However, she had the feeling that they were somehow within the deepest parts of the different mazes of trunks and branches. The slight waning moonlight and the pricks of light in the horizon were their only guides throughout this dizzying maze. It was hard to decipher anything in this obscurity, and there was the increasing amount of her curiosity as they continued tracking upon the slippery thickets and rough boulders.  
  
However, she kept her questions and merely contemplated that Patience is a Virtue.  
  
Then a wafting smell reached her, and she recognized it almost immediately. She knew it, for her body had been stained by it for the last two decades. A horrifying realization came to her, and she gazed at them with a half-astonished eyes.  
  
"You might slip in some bones." Her charge said rather casually. "I heard from Oniichan that people can die from something here...if you're not careful."  
  
If she was one of the ordinary sisters in a convent, she could have passed out.  
  
As the metallic scent grew stronger, a flicker of an aura came to her senses. It was weak, but the imposing, repelling aura was enough to make her head whirl in this enigmatic mystery. This intimidating creature, who had scared the wits of such little ones, exuded such strength even in its slow metabolism.  
  
The gathered thickets suddenly cleared. It revealed a cave, folded in the withering clinging vines, with moss and lichens growing from each side. A small trail of blood was visible upon the patched earth. The hollow opening was the one emanating that repulsing smell.  
  
"Are they here?"  
  
She could not help but notice the slight tremor in the little girl's tiny whisper.  
  
"I do not know...it is too hard to search in here." Jeanne tried to make out this blackness with her weary sight. The stinging cold and the perforating scent was becoming pungent.  
  
The little girl's form hid in safety behind Jeanne.  
  
"Neechan." A whisper from the rear came. The young little girl held her hand, quivering. "I want to see 'em. But...sca...sca..."  
  
Truth to be told, she could also feel the pangs of trepidation inside of her, but this was not the time to show that vulnerability to them. She was here to alleviate the girl's worries, and that meant facing this with a brave facade.  
  
"Okay.." she hesitated with a pause. "Just a peek then."  
  
And with a step, they treaded onwards.  
  
The silent glow of the phosphorous-covered mushrooms had given an eerie bluish light upon the lime-covered ceilings on the cave. There was the faint trickling of water that was audible up to the end of the coarse tunnel. The small traces of the metallic scent had her nose cringing in its scent as the pungent odor became murkier as they progress. She wished for the glow of the wick, and the warmth of a small fire right now.  
  
It was fortunate enough that they can hear the slight trickling of stale water from the rear of the cave. Although this hollow opening was certainly increasing her fear, it assured her from the scattered tools in the grounds that this place was enough for one to live.  
  
As she moved on, she began to be aware of the thinning of air as both of them go beyond through the depths of the cave.  
  
"I can't see, Neechan!" cried the girl in a hardly audible voice.  
  
"Me neither. Let's just check behind this rock." Her eyes were squinting, trying to make out the strange black mass in their way.  
  
As she turned on that corner, a sudden metallic scent pervaded her senses again.  
  
She tripped; and with horrified eyes, saw a man.  
  
He was huddled in the corner, leaning against the wall. His lower limbs were spread apart, his indistinguishable features visible. He carried the aura of near death, as the seemingly endless flow of blood marred with the moist gathering of water around him. The coagulating blood surrounded him.  
  
The scent was unbearable for the child. The girl huddled behind her, gripped at her dress with surrounding fear and horror at this sight  
  
Both of them could have screamed in horror, if it were not for the fear of what more lies beneath the darkness of the cave or the abysmal jungle. Thankfully, she regained her wits just in time to do that. She speculated the one who was crouching unconsciously in the boulder with deft eyes.  
  
She kneeled beside him, and found out that it was not the child's brother, nor her father. But there was too little of light to recognize him, and his features, along with his forehead, was matted with dry blood. His mahogany, elongated tresses were distressed and seemingly to stuck out dryly in different places. _The wounds are deep...Used crude bandages from a rag.... but not enough to stop bleeding_, she said in broken thoughts. _Needs treatments...I can't see clearly...!_ The last thought was somehow like a desperate cry for something that would make her wish to be out of this place.  
  
She begun to hear distant shouts from the mouth of the cave. She surmised that it had already been discovered by the villagers that she was gone from her present residence.  
  
With bated breath, she instructed her little companion. "Go to the villagers. Tell them that there is a wounded person here. Be quick." The air was getting thinner and her head was going in dizzying circles, for she was already somehow beneath the surface and blocked from the night air. The child ran swiftly, after a hasty nod, towards the grounds.  
  
She sat helplessly at the side of the injured, with her features tiredly unruffled. With skillful hands, she discerned how long the gashes found at his forehead were. She brushed off the mahogany locks to take account of temperature and then she began to unconsciously long for even a flicker of...  
  
"Need light?"  
  
A sudden flame erupted from a maroon-leathered glove. A drained but amused smile was illuminated.  
  
Then sudden apprehension had dawned on her, as she found two coal-black orbs watching her every move.  
  
She was suddenly bewildered. Abruptly, she took a sharp breath.  
  
_"You...!"  
_  
Even after many years of forgetting, a mere sight of him...  
  
However, the air suddenly was gone....  
  
...her lungs clenched, and everything went pitch-black.  


* * *


	2. His Words

_The permeating scent of metallic ashes overcame his senses. _

_Never had he felt so blood-thirsty in his whole existence._

The life-giving fluid was viscous in his fingers, flowing and staining. The fire flickered all around, giving him that eerie glow which made every soul whom he settled his eyes on burst into scorching flames. The nauseating scent that floated mixed along with the rubber-like taste of burnt flesh and melting cement. Screams and shrieks, and swift running footsteps echoed all over, calling him a monster, a heartless creature.

He never had that essential, supporting organ all along. Because if he had, then he would have long ago been hurt. And if he had felt that pounding on his chest, then he would not have considered this path long ago.

Pieces of the ceiling fell upon his horizon, with each beams dangling and emitting a blinding, dark smoke. Beneath his feet, the foundation crumbled slowly at each second the rock loosened. The shadows loomed over the gigantic, colored faces plastered on the walls—defiant faces of people garbed in majestic fabrics, crowned with a single golden ring and carrying crosses on their hands. 

_But what amused him the most was a kingly, robed child carrying the world in one hand, and the other, outstretched—with two fingers flashing a sign of peace in this cursed humanity._

Peace? All these worthless beings do was satisfy their greed and hunger for flesh. Die in the most animalistic way.

He was about to destroy that incriminating statue with that serene façade when a little girl came into his view, with a bottle of holy water in her grasp, and a glass-beaded patterned rosary on her bosom. Her short silvery locks were slightly burnt—ashes of the same color on his calloused hands marring her ethereal face.

"Come any closer, Destroyer," She began, eyes scrunched in obvious anger, "…and I will make you suffer."

And in those moments, this young child, possessing orbs in the same hue as that accursed red water, stared at him.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"How dare you do this to the house of God?" She whispered. "…Murderer."

They were hard rubies, glinting, accusing…

…Yet so entrancing.

"Yes. I am." He agreed. "Such nonsense is a waste of time, child."

"I have my beliefs, kind sir." Her voice was unnaturally firm.

**Disturbing.  
**  
"…And, I believe that you have no conscience."

He laughed, laughed emptily. Such an understatement for a precocious child to point out. "Tell me, little girl," he snickered, finding everything--the blood, the life, the child—hilarious, "do you believe that YOU…"

Her eyes still remained, unwavering.

"…can defeat me?"

And a blue-emitting aura flared around her, turning the primal dance of flames into sputtering flickers. The world slowly stopped and her gaze turned into ice. Icicles seemed to form around her, even though it only seemed to be his active imagination. For such a lithe form, a huge amount of power and authority seemed to surround her.

"Yes."

**Confident little girl.  
**  
"It will take a lot more years for you to do that, child." And he waved a non-committal hand. "Stain yourself with blood first."

He thought that such an innocent, fragile little thing will be frightened with that clairvoyant prediction of her path. He thought that she would cower and not face that demanding requirement in defeating him.

"Indeed." She said instead. "…Since that is the only way to save you."

* * *

**Faith**  
by **Miko-chan  
beta-read **by** Apple-chan**  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay. Here is second chapter installment dedicated to **da-mouse** and Mendori-chan. I knew that this fic would be longer than I originally planned. Enjoy!

* * *

The gentle rays of the sun penetrated beneath her closed lids. Somehow, the hard mattress under her back added to her discomfort, generating the need to stretch out her stiff joints. Groaning slightly from the languid haze that were filling up her senses, the nun tried to assess her surroundings. The air was warm, with the wind slightly wheezing just above her nostrils—one of those drenching summers that had that little amount of humidity you can breathe on.

_A dream…  
_  
_Rather,_ _a nightmare…  
_  
It was another morning in her ordinary vocational life, but it seems to be odd that none of her companions woke her for the morning prayers.

There was nothing peculiar to start off with. That strange _kihei_ that she felt hovering over her was—  
_Masaka__.  
_  
Abruptly, she stood up as if to dispel that ridiculous notion that the nightmare that she had met with last night was a mere illusion, a trick of her eye…

"_ITAI!_"

"AH!"

The jerking movement collided both of their heads intensely, creating huge bump marks upon their foreheads.

"…Great going for a morning, huh?"

She froze from rubbing her forehead. "You..." She stared at him. "How did you get in here?"

"Well, it was easy, you know?" He gave her a convincing smile that radiated innocence. "I followed those white companions of yours when they were checking your condition earlier this morning." He sat rather hastily beside her. "Besides, I would like to have a look to the one who had 'saved' me last night. "

"I did NOT save you. " She retorted. Never in her life would she admit that he owed something resembling a _favor_ to her. Any kind of connection to him is prohibited.

"Maaa, maa…" he shrugged off her statement, as if half-believing her words. "If that is what you say, but…I heard all that you have said and thought last night."

She became rigid. "You were awake?"

"Of course I was." He flashed a sinister-like grin.

"Why were you wounded anyway?" She asked again, preventing any more opportunity for him to make her more flustered than her current demeanor. It was impossible that the one who was expected to be sanctioned as the Shaman King would be extremely wounded, except in one case—and that would have taken a lot of effort. Unless…

"I did not expect to have to explain this to you. " He gave something like a snort. "…But, in order to raise my furyoku, I—"

"You wounded yourself in a near-death experience." She finished in a soft voice. That was what she had done in the past, in order to increase her own furyoku ten-fold, using the piercing thorns of her iron chamber. "What for?"

"That," a deceiving smile made way to his tanned face, "…is none of your business."

Her crimson orbs narrowed in annoyance, not minding the fact that she was wearing a particularly thin garment inside a secluded tent. It was like that in that shift of congeniality to a moment where you are treading perilous grounds.

"Jeanne-NEECHAAAN!" came a terrified squeal as footsteps rampaged towards her tent. The little girl did not even give a second glance to her unwelcome 'visitor', sweeping her small feet, and nearly colliding with the smirking ragged young man.

"Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" She jumped to Jeanne's lap and hugged her tightly on the waist, as if obviously afraid that any minute, she will disappear. "The elders told me that...that...I should not have led you to danger."

"Shh." Jeanne admonished gently, patting the curly mass of hair lovingly. "Did they find your father...?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Jeanne-neechan!" And the nun gave a long-held sigh of relief, knowing that it was really excoriating when one of your charges are grieving or currently undergoing something...

But as soon as the young girl had settled her eyes upon the youthful stranger leaning upon the pillar of Jeanne's tent, her black orbs grew wide and round. She jumped up and bowed rigidly at him. "Gomen nasai! " She blurted out quickly before running hastily outside.

_Opacho__… _

It was odd, but the kid looked alike with his faithful follower back then. The only difference was that the present midget had darker chestnut hair. But the watery orbs were the same...

"What's with that smile?" The young nun raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What's wrong with smiling?" The young shaman asked in false naivety.

"It gives me the impression that you are up to something." She gave him an eye of mistrust.

"Really, Jeanne-neechan. You hurt me with such words."

"I am quite happy that I did." She huffily said as she rose from her position.

"But, you are right..." His grin became wider. "I _am_ up to something."

"I know you quite well." She shook her head in disbelief.

"…But not that well, Jeanne-san." He stood up abruptly from his lounging position, his face shadowed with something that she could not decipher. It was like the gloom of that cave. "Shall we go? I have a feeling that you have to start your work right now."

"Who told you that you are going with me?" She muttered, glaring at him from her bed. "Get out before I force you."

"And why should I?"

"I have to get dressed, please."

"Don't you think I should rather stay?" He winked.

Something flashed behind those scarlet orbs and there came a sudden increase of _ki_. And one Asakura Hao, with all the wisdom that he developed in his past lives, knew that whenever such killing intent was displayed, it meant partial disembowelment. So, with a wary gaze at the graceful yet enflaming maiden, he quietly trod outside.

But not without opening his damn mouth once more.

"It's not everyday that I will see a nak—"

A flying vase, a rumpled cot, and elevated books were seen thrown out to finally make him retreat outside.

Once everything came to a unsettled silence, (and a suspicious glance at every side) the nun was now wishing that she never, ever let her feminine curiosity (more of meddling) get to her. She had her previous childhood to serve as experience.

As soon as she finished changing inside her tent, the silver-haired nun went out, with her hands lifting some books and materials for her daily teaching. But then, almost all of the towering books came falling to the ground as soon as she saw that fire-wielding mage sitting upon the wilting cypress tree just beside her tent. His head was supported by his hands, which were overly strapped with metal, as he idly sat by, watching the clouds until she emerged.

"What the...?" She muttered. "I thought I SAID..."

"Don't be so flustered." The grin he was giving was really unnerving. "I did not peek, I promise."

Flushing with mixed anger and embarrassment, the young woman bent to pick up the fallen books. With her back to him and knees bent, she continued hopefully. "Can't you just return to whatever hole you came from?"

"I just thought you wanted help." The masculine voice was now somewhere in her proximity, meaning that the infuriating Asakura was now beside her as well. The sound of books being piled up was now heard, indicating that he was, in fact, helping her. "One cannot carry too many books at once." He chuckled. "Everyone knows that, Jeanne-_neechan_."

"I prefer that you not call me in such a disrespectful manner, Asakura-san." Abruptly, she stood. Snatching the books that he just stacked, she again wobbled slightly from the weight.

A raise of his eyebrow. "You call me," a smirk made way to his lips, "..._Asakura__-san_?"

_Better that than to address you with more colorful, sinful and delightful names. _"Asakura-san, could you please just _stop_ getting on my nerves?" She hissed, turning her head sharply in his direction. "Go away."

"Is this the thanks I deserve?" He laughed, mirth laced with amusement. "Can't I help you with your duties for the mean time…?"

"No." Her voice now carried death, which did not faze him even one bit. "If you want to do something productive, then leave me."

And to the former Iron Maiden's surprise, the onmyouji finally gave a resigned sigh. "You still think I'm a nuisance, don't you?"

And indeed, the smile he held before he departed was meaningful in many ways than one. "…Then, I think I will have to arrange something."

* * *

The sky was marked with those white, soft streaks against the clear azure background yet even though it was too tempting to stay in one place because of the heat, as soon as the nun finally arrived at the makeshift classroom in the outdoors, the small crowd of midgets again flocked on her.

"Is it true, neechan?"

"Yeah, you've found that bloody ghost and brought him here?"

"They said that he could not be killed and he was just talking with that old chief now!"

A lustrous eyebrow went up on the edge of her veil. So he was not merely staying near the mountains for a short while then. Judging the way that the children were hearing the stories of terror and nightmares, it seemed he had been haunting these mountains for a long time. But it seemed he had not descended from it for a very long time, as the elders from this village did not seem disturbed by his presence and that disgusting scent that followed him.

Then she finally wondered, when did she washed the scent of blood away from her hands?

"Children, please." She tried to pacify the whole rambunctious children who continued to speak at once. "We need to start our lessons." When those small faces suddenly pouted and gave a disdained frown, she exhaustedly added, "I will give you the details as to what happened, if we finish early."

"Really?"

"Yes. So we better start now."

Hours passed, and the heat of the afternoon sun continued to shine throughout the horizon. The heat was radiating and she can feel the outpouring of sweat on her forehead. The restlessness of the children was understandable, as they shifted from their cross-legged seats and seem to be not intently reading the text.

Nevertheless, the lesson must go on, hot weather or not.

"Four plus five is?"

"NINE!"

"Six plus two?"

"EIGHT!"

The chorus of the little ones were deafening, enough for the whole wide world to hear. And for her, this was more too effective than to distract her thoughts about the possibilities and assumptions on her head. Questions began flickering on her mind: why was that same murderous man here? And why was he increasing his furyoku when the Shaman fight was already long over?

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as one of her fellow nuns signaled her to take cover. With a apologetic glance at her students, Jeanne made her way to one of her white-veiled companions.

"Yes, Sister Maria?"

"Mother Superior calls for you. She is terribly distressed with you."

Ah. How can she forget? Acting on her own and crossing out of these territories without any permission can attract anyone's attention, lest from her supervisor. If this meant being given a long winded lecture, then she would rather take that instead of standing in the middle of the sweltering sun. At least, under the shade of the tent, with an obviously displeased cranky old nun lecturing her would lessen any chances of meeting him again.

* * *

She entered the room, which was illuminated with the large cracked windows, in a careful manner. There was the collective number of dust floating, alighted by that lazy sunlight that nearly filled the gloomy surrounding. The one she was reporting to was sheaving papers on her desk, slightly disturbed and a grim line on her wrinkled face.

It was better to get things over with faster.

"Why did you call for me, Mother?"

The inclined head slowly looked up from her work and found her emerging from the entrance. With a motion for the young apprentice to come over, she followed and stood with nervous hands trying hard to stop fiddling in front of her. To overcome her uneasiness, she struggled for a small, thin smile.

"I am quite astonished with your actions last night, young woman." The elderly nun shifted on her seat, rising from her creaky wooden chair and walking to the other side of her desk in order to sternly scold one of the students she supposedly trusted the most. "I specifically did not give any instructions to go out during the night, as you know the dangers in these areas."

Shamefully, the silver head was bowed, eyes refusing to meet that discerning stare.

"Nevertheless," the weak, pliant voice continued. "It is fortunate that the young man whom you saved last night was conscious and brought you to those people searching for you." Another one of those relieved inhalations. "Thank God. I was so worried that I think I might have died earlier than I expected."

"I am sorry, Mother Superior." Her young voice held remorse.

With a disapproving click of her tongue, the elder shook her head dejectedly. "You should have known better, dear. But I am not truly disappointed with you." And a matronly smile now crept up to that aged face. "I am really proud to have you as my student, saving one of the most respected men in this area."

_What…?_

"You did not know, did you?" A creaking laugh. " Oh dear, he is supposed to be one of those whom they consult to."

She raised her head in surprise, finally understanding what had transpired in the village earlier. That explains the sudden interest of people in her while she walked along the dilapidated streets in these premises. They seem to be more respectful of her recently, and avoided meeting her eyes in their most exerted effort. In this case, they seem to know that the treacherous young lad was a force to reckon with. The folk in this village were superstitious and known to be more in tune with terms that are of mystical and spiritual themes. And if he did exerted such fearful hallucinations among them…

Her mind forcefully closed shut. She promised not to interfere with such things ever again.

"Better yet, I think you would want to meet him."

A swing of the creaky door, a flash of those onyx orbs and the whip of a tattered cloak was all she needed to realize who he was.

As soon as he entered the room, the whole atmosphere turned into something rigid. There was a sudden change in demeanor, the way her eyes became electrifying rubies, her lips set in a grim line as the young man who entered the icy area paced cautiously.

"I did not expect," the young shaman looked at her disdainfully, "…to meet her here, Mother."

_Liar. _Her mind responded swiftly.

"I think this is a coincidence." The youngest person said instead, refusing to budge away from her position. "Asakura-san."

The eldest among them suddenly went in between them, and held the hands of the blinking gorgeous young man. "Ah, I do think that your name is Asakura--?"

"Asakura Hao, Mademoiselle." He was slightly disturbed of the fluttering, wrinkled eyelids.

But the ruby orbs were now fully glaring at him behind her Instructor, which entertained him even more. If he dealt with this situation carefully, methodically, then he will escape this mess without any scratch and with his dignity intact.

"But I do think Jeanne-san here," he spoke, hoping to snap this poor old woman out of her reverie, "…is _uncomfortable_ with me."

Creased hands twitched in his sudden husky voice as she remembered the purpose of his visit. Weak eyes gave them both a scrutinizing gaze as she realized that neither of them were making any effort to move towards each other. Perhaps the sun was too bright. It was probably the reason why she never noted this sooner.

"Do you two know each other?" The elderly nun, with her spectacles glinting against the bright sunlight, gazed at them both.

"Yes." Both replied with such stiffness.

"…Well." The nun then scrutinized one of her protégé with such a disapproving look. "I am surprised at you. I expected you to show courtesy towards old friends."

_Friends?_ He nearly choked with laughter at the idea.

"Please accept my apologies, kind sir." The younger acolyte said lightly. The smile on her lips did not fool him, but she did appease her instructor. Her scarlet eyes revealed more than the polite words used.

"The people give their utmost respect to this gentleman." The older nun gradually circled around him, observing. "We, too, have to get along with him..." The Mother superior gave a smile that can unnerve the most aloof shaman in the world. He sensed that the elder nun fancied him. (Being an empathy, he _would_.) "...in order to have a lasting relationship with them."

He raised an amused eyebrow at the rigid young apprentice.

"I have things to do for the meantime." There was a final note in her voice as she gave them a gesture of dismissal. "Entertain him for a while, won't you dear?"

A curt nod.

"I shall be going now, Asakura-san."

"Good day!" He gave courteous bow.

And the very kind nun went off.

A tentative silence hovered between the two. He was smirking, and she was scowling.

"Your Mother Superior..." He said in a calm, even voice.

Her glare was throwing the nastiest daggers that a decent woman can give.

"…was _flirting_ with me."

It was evident that he had been holding it aaaall up...

The younger acolyte felt a strange urge to bash this moron with something.

"Asakura Hao, I wanted to ask you something."

_Breathe, before you hyperventilate and finally break your vow of not murdering anyone again.  
_  
"Yes?"

She calculated every graceful move, every elegant stance as she stood from her seat and equally looked him in the eye.

"What in _Heaven's_ name do you want?"

"Would you really want to know?"

"Would I be asking if I don't?" _Grating. Nerve-wracking as ever. _

"I am interested," he said as he finally stepped out the door, "…in _you_."

And for her, this was more troubling than he was setting out to destroy the human race.

* * *

During the next week, where she received an unusual hushed expression from the villagers during her approach, she was really relieved when the Mother Superior thought to send her to the nearby village on the other side of the mountain to gather some medical supplies.

"Of course, Mother." She gave a pleasant smile, hoping that nothing will go wrong on the trip. "When do I leave?" As soon as she said the phrase, she instinctively rose from her seat, thinking of pleasant hours that she won't be meeting that obnoxious shaman.

"Unfortunately, the coach driver is sick." The wrinkled face and the glinting glasses sighed.

"…Oh." And the acolyte thought of how tiring it might be to walk along that distance. Her thoughts wandered back to that night when she had to go through those wild myriad of dark greens and jagged boulders. However, she had a feeling that she would not going alone this time due to her recent incident with this same towering mass of land.

_Just as long as..._

"But that friend of yours said that he will be more than willing to help."

The next thing she knew, there was that all-too familiar deceiving smirk that curtsied in front of her and mockingly gave a wink.

"I'll be your pleasant escort for the trip, Jeanne-san."

"Mother," she tried—yes, she really, truly tried—to mask her ferocious expression to avoid threatening her senior. "I want to go ALONE."

"Are you insane, my dear?" The nun held her glasses, a sign of displeasure, and glinted them against the sunlight.

_I think I will be_, the former enemy of the male shaman thought, _if I stayed with that annoying male even for a mere hour._

"Do not worry, Mademoiselle." That annoying onmyouji now turned his attention to the awe-stricken woman. "I am sure that Jeanne-san will be safe in my hands."

"Oh my, how _gallant_." Jeanne's ever-observant young eyes caught clearly how her elder superior shivered at the stare that blindly hypnotized every possible follower of his. The elder nun gave her most charming smile (and for Jeanne, it was just too much to bear). "I trust you with all of my life, you know that very well, Asakura-san!"

Jeanne nearly wished to lose her composure and walk out from this insipid conversation when he finally perceived that treacherous flicker of her ki.

"I think we should be leaving right about tomorrow?" He offered with a suave voice, secretly finding an escape route just in case the usually composed maiden finally cracked. "After all, usually it's a sickness that outbreaks in this region ever once and a while."

"Yes, I do think that we have something to talk about, Asakura-san." A voice, so sweet and poisoned in the same time, was directed at him. "I hope you excuse us this time, Mother Superior?"

"Very well, Jeanne." The elderly smiled. "Be careful."

The minute that came out of the older nun's mouth, the younger one stormed off and left behind the smirking young man who casually followed her as she fumed.

"My, my. She does not usually look this upset."

A soft chuckle escaped from his lips as he closed the door.

* * *

"Why are you avoiding me?"

That was the first question that she had heard from him inside her tent that night.

"What do you mean, 'why I am avoiding you'?" She said non-chantilly as she settled the schoolbooks in a corner. She had accepted teaching a few catechism classes or some academic lessons to the children.

"You know..." he said mildly, sitting by the little round chair upon her makeshift desk as he turned to her with expectant eyes. "Whenever you behold upon my ever-majestic presence, you go away. Pretend I don't exist."

She chose not to respond to that. Instead she rolled her eyes with annoyance, opting to gather a match and add light along with the soft touch of the lustrous moonlight.

But knowing that he will continue to pester and persist until he got the answer he wanted, she finally gave up and chose the most appropriate reply. She was tired of playing and walking in circles around him.

"Trouble." The glare that she gave him promised death. "You cause nothing but trouble…"

"So, you avoid _me_ to avoid _that_…" Amused, he settled himself on her bunk bed with a mischievous smile on his face. "Hmmm, but trouble really _is_ attracted to you." He replied casually as he raised his palm to his chin.

"I am glad that I do not need to trouble myself with mutilation for you to understand that statement." She sarcastically rolled her eyes in obvious annoyance again.

"But I have not done anything wrong..." He gave a pout.

"Not yet." She said equivocally as she kneeled in front of her altar. "Would you _please_ choose someone else to bother? I need to have peace."

"Maybe later." He shifted comfortably into his seat.

"I need solitude," she lighted another single candle in front of the blessed statue with reverence, "…whenever I am praying." Then, she made the sign of the cross gradually and gathered the crystal beads to her candle-like fingers. "So please, leave me."

"A powerful being like you, praying to such an inanimate object." He scoffed, tossing his hair over his broad shoulders and observing the serene expression that suddenly overwhelmed the young lady's face as she turned to him. Her face showed that she was contemplating on whether to argue with him or not.

"I am not praying to a mere statue." She calmly said. "I am praying to God."

"And how does that help you?"

A uncomfortable silence, one that usually comes in between them whenever they reach awkward moments and have a silent battle of wills. They knew that one mistake in their step would be fatal, and would cause one or the other to suffer an untimely defeat.

"Unlike you," The Maiden drew a sharp intake of breath, and her fingers grasped tightly on the glass beads that were in between her fingers. "I have my beliefs."

And he stood up, his respiration flaring, his swirling coal eyes burning, as if greatly affected by her cold statement. "Beliefs are what makes you foolish, woman."

"Foolish?" She continued, without any iota of tremble in her bone. "Look at you." And then, her silvery head turned to him, those tattered robes and usually kept elongated mahogany tresses ragged and awry. "You are an image of a wrecked human being."

"I am _not_ human!" He hissed. "What makes you say that when I can extinguish your pathetic life right now?"

Impassively, the nun turned her attention back to the flickering candle flames in front of the porcelain statue. His threatening steps reverberated in the night, coming closer, hand outstretched to strangle that small, peach neck...to kill that lithe, small form…

…to know _why_.

_Why._

And as Jeanne closed her eyes, a slight draft of wind and a fluttering cloak extinguished the flames, drowning her in darkness and slight murmurings of prayer.

_Have I totally forgotten—forgiven—all the sins that he made? _She thought helplessly as she continued to pray upon the face of the statue of Mary on her low table. The silent gleam of the candle flickered more violently with each passing notion. A small bead of sweat broke off as her sentiments became heavier than before.

_How could I?_ She had forgotten in just a few moments time...forgotten that she was still the Holy Maiden and he was the Evil that to be eliminated.

_But trouble really IS attracted to you…_

But what disturbed her again is why…

…Why does she keep thinking of _that_?

* * *

Morning came again…and there he was, amidst the thistles and blinding winds.

There was something discomfiting on the way he greeted her good morning. Neither did she look so guarded with herself after their encounter last night.

As soon as she had gathered a few number of things and uttered a small prayer before departing, both of them walked along the deserted street in a tense manner.

But all of these pretenses were thrown to the lukewarm breeze when she saw the chosen transportation.

He might be, for whatever reason, her _escort_, but it never meant that she would allow him to do whatever he wanted.

"I am NOT riding!"

"No one will see."

"But with THAT?"

"It takes less time."

"_No_." She vehemently protested. "I will NOT!"

"Just consider the time it would take." He continued, with that wheedling voice soft and convincing. "It will not try to burn you this time."

"You, Asakura Hao, are a lame _excuse_ for a gentleman." She gritted her teeth.

The early rays of dawn were streaking the dark horizons, with the moon slightly fading from its background. But what made Jeanne felt that she was having another one of her head-wrecking mornings was when this young man persisted to ride his gigantic, towering Oversoul (who nearly burned her into such death-defying degrees, she may add.) in order to reach the next village.

"I prefer to face the mountains and snakes," her hand gripped tightly on the clean, cream shawl that was draped around her shoulders, "…than to ride THAT." Her finger pointed at the glowing Spirit that was seemingly bored from this hushed argument.

"You are being unreasonable."

"My reasoning will disappear," she murmured, "…if I agreed to go with you."

And with that statement, the mule-headed woman briskly paced around him. However, he was not seemingly considerate with her actions right now. With a dispassionate stare, he spoke.

"What are you afraid of, Jeanne-san?"

Halting from her tracks, she turned around and answered him with a puncturing glare.

"Afraid of _me_?" He continued, laughing and widening his arms as if to emphasize his statement. "These people whom I actually associate with," and with a sweep of his hand, he indicated the sleepy, drowsy village that were under the spell of the candlelight, "...may look that they respect me…"

And then, his face curled into a sneer.

"…But I can hear their thoughts…"

His voice dropped low into a malicious whisper.

"…This abundant mass of blood and flesh _fears_ me."

A part of her was reminded why she considered him to be a lunatic.

"…Crazy, you say?" Now, his face deftly changed into a genial smile.

Her eyes betrayed the horror and astonishment that had been long kept.

"Are you not feared too?" And she turned around and walked away, not daring to look behind.

_Keep walking._ Her feet began to tremble against the crumbling soil, particles of dust sweeping around her feet like clouds. _Keep walking._

"You used to want power, Jeanne-san..."

The scent of blood was coming back to her senses. A path she long abandoned.

"…To change something that you believe is right."

That soft voice, so resonant that it made her insides wrench.

"A power that corrupts and twists one's mind…"

Silence was always the best answer for him.

"_…Like me._"

Even though she knew that he was talking more to himself…

She could not help but retreat and let him win.


End file.
